


now for plan a

by crowdragon



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M, One Shot, ino and lee make an appearance as well, the ep 219 race is constantly on the brain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 07:53:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28347957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crowdragon/pseuds/crowdragon
Summary: Gai puzzles over what flowers to get Kakashi before hunting him down for an important challenge.kkg week 2020 day 2, prompt: flowers
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Maito Gai | Might Guy
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29
Collections: KakaGai Week 2020 entries





	now for plan a

Gai stands outside of the Yamanaka flower shop, or rather, what there is of it. He hadn’t expected it to be under construction this soon, but Ino assures him that it’s mostly functional.  
  
“I mean, flowers do fine out in the elements even without our help right?” She’d said.

It seems that the shop is busier than ever, even in its unfinished state. A line has gathered outside the tent where Ino is currently conducting business, while people mill about the temporary open-air garden boxes in place of actual store shelves and vases. Sales have been up since the attack due to people buying flowers for memorials, as well as congratulatory gifts for loved ones, and thank-you gifts for anyone that came to their aid. He’s also spotted more than one couple rushing to proclaim their love in the wake of the attack as well. Being reminded of one’s mortality has a way of making the smaller, happier things seem more important than usual.

And here he is, joining the throng. He wasn’t expecting everyone else to have the same idea. He’d been meaning to consult Ino about what to buy, but with how busy she must be…

He wanders around the wooden flower boxes, deep in thought. It wasn’t common knowledge yet, but through some persistent prodding and maybe a little eavesdropping, he’d managed to find out that Kakashi was being put forward as the Hokage. He was incredibly overjoyed for his lifelong rival. He really, truly was. Nobody here currently could be more qualified for the role in Tsunade’s (hopefully temporary) absence. And he understood the need to promote someone so quickly, as the village had never been more vulnerable than it was now. But…

He worried. He knew that Kakashi was a reluctant leader, at best. He’d had too much experience with leadership going wrong to desire the role. Oh sure, he would try to hide it, and bore it well whenever necessary. But Kakashi was terrified of anything close to responsibility. Plus, Gai admitted that a more selfish part of him was going to miss spending time with Kakashi. A lot.  
  
So. He’d made up his mind to issue one last challenge, and to show him just how much he meant to him. As well as congratulate him on his promotion. And show how relieved he was that he survived.

Tension twists in the pit of his stomach as he recalls what Kakashi told him after everyone started getting back to functional. That he had technically been dead for quite some time during the battle. That the only reason he was standing here now to accept this role was due to the strange jutsu that literally brought him back from the dead.

The thought was a chilling one, to put it mildly, and Gai preferred not to dwell on how close he had been to losing one of the people dearest to him. All the more reason to make today’s challenge something worth remembering. Something fun to take the edge off the current situation, to remind Kakashi that he was there for him through everything.

Someone behind him clears their throat, pointedly, and Gai hurries to apologize and move out of the way. It’s too crowded right now for him to stop and space out. He frowns down at a box of anemone’s in front of him, considering them. He wishes he had ever thought to ask what Kakashi’s favorite flower was, but that isn’t a topic that’s come up naturally between them. Small talk isn’t Kakashi’s speed. He probably would have ignored a question like that anyway. If only he had ever challenged him to gardening or flower arranging or something. He’s gotten him to do weirder things under the guise of competition after all. 

Someone else appears behind him and huffs impatiently. Gai takes a deep breath and clenches his teeth, determined. He must focus! 

He does remember one time, when they were still little kids, before Kakashi had lost his father. Both of their dads had brought the group of them out to a field one spring that was full of wildflowers and let the two kids run amok. They’d said it was important to appreciate the natural seasonal bounty of the village, or something like that. They came up with a lot of good-sounding reasons to arrange playdates for the kids. Gai remembers seeing Kakashi’s tiny, unusually-stern-for-a-toddler face completely light up at the sight of the sheer volume of blossoms before them. Or maybe it had been a tiny Gai immediately picking one and placing it in his hair that had made him so happy.

Either way, it was a very precious memory to him. He wishes he could remember exactly what flowers they were. All he remembers is a field of creamy yellow, with occasional flecks of crimson. 

He spots another set of yellow flowers over in the corner and his heart skips a beat. They’re incredibly familiar. He glances at the tiny handwritten label staked into the flower box. It says they’re some sort of primrose. They’re almost an exact match for the one’s from that field. Gai can hardly believe his luck, and he takes one of the tags next to the flower box to bring to the tent to purchase, elated. He’s also relieved that he doesn’t have to take up so much space in the crowd any longer. He was getting more and more self-conscious the longer he paced around the crowded space.

Unfortunately, the line into the tent is still a long one. Gai bounces on his heels in an effort to keep from doing squats or something in the middle of the line out of sheer anxious energy. 

“Gai-sensei!” The unmistakable voice of possibly his dearest student calls over the crowd of enthusiastic flower buyers.(He would never pick favorites of course, but Lee is very near to his heart.) The boy trots up to him, waving. 

“Lee! I’m surprised to see you here! I thought you were busy today?”

Lee nods. “I was helping with some of the construction over by one of the training fields, but through sheer determination we got our tasks done in record time! So now I’m running around town to relax. What are you doing here?”

“I am buying flowers as a token of my admiration for someone very important to me, of course!” He waves the little tag to demonstrate.

Lee nods again, eyes wide and shining, clearly touched by Gai’s thoughtful gesture. “That is just like you Sensei! I’m sure whoever it is will be very happy!”

Gai gets an idea. He was going to ask one of his other students to assist in the challenge, but since Lee is free now, this works out perfectly. “Lee, may I request a favor you?”

The kid looks like he’ll collapse of happiness on the spot. “You can ask anything of me Gai sensei!” 

Ah, he is almost too reliable sometimes. “That’s just what I wanted to hear!” He claps a hand on his shoulder and turns him around. “Lee, I need you to go and wait on top of the Hokage monument. He doesn’t know about it yet, but I am going to challenge Kakashi to one final, no holds barred race and I need someone to watch the finish line and determine which of us wins.”

Lee nods fervently, clenching his fist. “Of course sensei!” He almost takes off immediately.

Gai holds up his hand for him to pause. “Additionally, I am going to need you to hold on to these flowers for me. Try to keep them out of sight, I want it to be a surprise.”

“Yes of course! The flowers would be for Kakashi! It makes perfect sense! I should have already guessed!”

After what feels like an hour Gai finally reaches the end of the line, Lee now in tow. Ino greets them with a wave, obviously tired but still bright as can be. “I knew I heard you two out there,” She takes the tag from Gai and lifts her eyebrows when she reads it. “Ooooh, those ones huh? I don’t know if Kakashi will get the hint, but good on you for _finally_ confessing I guess.”

Gai goes beet red and Lee’s mouth falls open. “I-please keep it between us Ino, but how did you guess that?”

Lee looks even more shocked, and interrupts before Ino can provide her reasoning, throwing himself into a bow. “Gai sensei I am so honored to help you on this incredibly important day! Please accept my wish for your good luck!” 

Ino rolls her eyes at the two of them. “Primroses signify _long, undying love_ and _desire_ , you know. They’re a bit more forward than I’d go for, but I doubt _you’re_ worried about coming off as too much.” She shrugs, and passes the tag to the coworker actually working the register. “Consider yourself lucky, because I intend to make sure that bouquet knocks Kakashi’s socks off. Or something. Have fun you guys!” She waves them off, winking at Gai knowingly.

He tries not to appear too embarrassed as he pays for the flowers and waits outside for Ino to return. He didn’t know a single thing about flower language, but the meaning does seem fitting for the two of them.

Unfortunately, since it’s Ino, the entire village is going to know about it in a day or two. Oh well. Gai isn’t known for keeping anything quiet himself. Lee is bouncing around him excitedly, and honestly, that’s encouragement enough. Now he’ll just have to track down Kakashi, no small feat in and of itself. Particularly when he’s trying to dodge the village elders and bureaucrats in search of a moments peace. They can wait awhile though. He has a race to run.

**Author's Note:**

> I spent way too much time trying to decide what the flowers could have been canonically and primroses were my best guess after much deliberation 🤷🏻♀️ (hibiscus were a close second but they werent really the right shape so)


End file.
